As the Mind Sees
by DYlogger
Summary: "And now I have to kill his sister. She's stronger than he is, you know," she said, disregarding the comment about dragons being human. It was impossible, despite what she had seen and read. AU, mostly gen. Off-screen character death.


**_Disclaimer: Ha. If I owned AD:JL, I'd have run it to the ground long before it actually ended, which is saying something because AD:JL only has 52 episodes anyway. I'm not the type of person who's good at that type of thing._**

**A/N: I did this for Round 2 of the AU Bingo on LiveJournal, using the prompt 'fandom', featuring ficster!88. I don't know _what_ possessed me to interpret it like this- wait. I do. I wanted to give some grey to the black-and-white-ness of the show, which I really can't blame the show for because it's a kids' show.**

**(It's the werewolf!Dora pic I can't fathom.)**

**Oh, and 88 and 89 need character tags, as does the Huntsman.**

**I don't particularly want to add an A/N to the bottom, so I'll just tell you to review when you're done here, whether you liked it or not!**

**Anyway, read on!**

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><p>"Master," said Huntsgirl, walking along a long corridor with the Huntsman, "is there a magical equivalent of the Internet?"<p>

The Huntsman raised his eyebrows under his mask. "Do not be silly, Huntsgirl. We would have discovered it by now if they had such a thing. Why do you ask?"

"But sir-" Huntsgirl started, before abruptly stopping and shrugging. "I thought it could be useful with information on the magical world," she lied. She had found something, but perhaps it was planted by the magical community to throw the Huntsclan off their trail. Yes, that was probably it.

"The Internet is a human innovation," said the Huntsman. "The magical community has more primitive means of information sharing than we do. Now, if that will be all-"

"Actually," said Huntsgirl, daring to interrupt her master, continuing when he didn't stop and reprimand her. "Master, how do you feel about... fictional stories about real people?"

"They are both a disgrace to humankind and literature," responded the Huntsman.

"What about something like historical fiction? With magical creatures and- dragons?" she asked.

The Huntsman frowned. "Do not trust those stories, Huntsgirl. They may portray these creatures as human, but remember that they are not. They are not people, no matter how much society romanticises it. Our job is to rid the earth of these creatures. Do not forget that."

"Of course, Master," said Huntsgirl, bowing her head. Her master was right; her master was always right. Magical creatures were evil by nature, and she couldn't believe that she thought otherwise, even for a second. "Forgive me, it was a fleeting notion."

"No matter. I trust I shall see you at training later," he said, receiving a nod in return. The Huntsman inclined his head before breaking off his stride and turning the corner. Huntsgirl just continued along the corridor when a slayer- the one she knew as 88- joined her.

"You know he's using you, right?" he said. 88 no longer had a proper name since he became a full-fledged member of the Huntsclan, but she had worked with him and his old partner, 89, for too long to not call him anything.

"It doesn't matter," frowned Huntsgirl. "As soon as I kill the American Dragon, I will become a full-fledged member of the Huntsclan."

"Isn't that what he said last time?" said 88. "By the way, where are we going?"

Huntsgirl shrugged. "My room, I guess. And my master- he's protective. He wants to make sure I'm ready before allowing me to become completely part of the Huntsclan."

88's eyes narrowed. "Really, Huntsgirl? We both know you're better than me; you've been training since birth whereas I've only been here for a few years."

"It's not about that. He thinks I'm soft." She opened the door to her room, and the two of them entered.

"Really? Because, as I recall, you were the one to kill the first American dragon. You even keep his pelt in your room." He tapped his foot against the smooth, reptilian skin that adorned Huntsgirl's bedroom.

Huntsgirl shrugged and flopped down on her bed.

"Dragons have a human form, which means they have a human life. Nature can be changed, and dragons are smart and sentient," said 88. "And you killed one."

"And now I have to kill his sister. She's stronger than he is, you know," she said, disregarding the comment about dragons being human. It was impossible, despite what she had seen and read.

88 plowed on. "You know why 89 quit? He found a higher calling- a better calling. We discovered something- something about the magical world. They're not evil by nature. They have lives with politics, economics, education, everything humans have. We were going to tell the Huntsclan when our morals got in the way. 89 managed to make a life for himself outside the Huntsclan, but I never got that opportunity."

"I could bring you in for treason. And that would be enough to make me a full-fledged slayer."

"But you wouldn't. Because you know I'm right. You've seen it, haven't you? The magical version of the Internet. I've been monitoring them."

"Master says-"

"The Huntsman is an old-fashioned man who's _using you_, Huntsgirl. I haven't told the rest of the Huntsclan about the magical Internet because they don't deserve it."

"Then why are you still here?" asked Huntsgirl, sitting up.

88 shrugged. "I don't have anywhere else to go. Instead, I've been sabotaging missions, and they don't know it's me because I don't have a name anymore."

"Then I'm your enemy," said Huntsgirl, eyes narrowed.

"No, you're not," grinned 88. "Because you used to go to school and have a civilian life. You used to date boys and worry about the latest celebrity scandal. You know exactly what it's like, and if you've been following the tabloids and reading the fanfiction, you'll know that the American dragon is just like a younger version of you, only more famous. You even know her name, and yet you've done nothing to her."

Huntsgirl bowed her head. "I knew her before she was the American dragon. I even had a crush on her brother, but it didn't go anywhere because I killed him. I don't regret it because I can't, and empathizing with the dragon-"

"-Haley Long," said 88 firmly.

"_The dragon_," repeated Huntsgirl. "Empathizing would mean that I have to regret. And I can't."

"But you know it's true."

Huntsgirl remained decidedly silent. She stood up abruptly. "I have a scheduled training," she said. She stiffly left the room, leaving 88 behind in her wake.

"But you know it's true," he repeated softly.

...

_**Title**: Only Human_  
><em><strong>Author<strong>: slayer88_  
><em><strong>Summary<strong>: Once upon a time, Huntsgirl had a civilian alter-ego. After many years, she has to step back into it to research the American dragon so she can kill her. However, she discovers some truths about the previous American dragon and the magical community, and begins to question the validity of the Huntsclan._


End file.
